Friday, August 26, 2005

Willow Grove has been saved for now

It looks like the base is off the BRAC list for now. Willow Grove got a much needed reprieve in the form of a Federal judge.I take the quote from the WSJ.com. "As the commission began debating a huge shakeup of the Air National Guard, a federal judge in Pennsylvania ruled that the Pentagon lacks the authority to close an Air National Guard unit in the state without the governor's approval. The judge declared the decision to close that state's unit "null and void."In a case that could affect National Guard units nationwide, Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell said the Pentagon wrongly proposed trimming the state's Air National Guard without his consent. Justice Department lawyers argued that the Base Realignment and Closure Act supersedes a federal law requiring gubernatorial consent.

The part of the Defense Department report "that recommends deactivation of the 111th Fighter Wing of the Pennsylvania Air National Guard is null and void," Judge John R. Padova ruled. It wasn't immediately clear what impact that would have on the commission's deliberations."

Let's just hope the Pentagon doesn't get to ticked at this. The Pentagon may not have authority over the National Guard but they do over the military reserves. It's name is Willow Grove Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base (NAS JRB Willow Grove). They could very well say "Well, let's just move the 111th to the next closest full-blown National Guard base." Then Willow Grove will be back on the chopping block.